hunting season

[Lumpy]

Go ahead pick on me. I don't care. I am anti-gun and anti-hunter.
No one has yet to answer my initial question of 'Where are hunters allowed to go?' so that I can avoid folks who do cherish these institutions.

Because it's not that easy. You could go to the state fish and game site, get one set of information, like seasons, restrictions, etc, then go to the federal fish and wildlife website and get more infirmaries, then to state parks, then to national parks, then you could look into any private loans you might be interested in, ad nauseum. There are different Game Management Units, different seasons for different animals, etc, etc.

And i don't think that anyone has been picking on you.

So, you could start with where you might go, instead of complaining that no one has helped you (it seemed to me like you were complaining, I'm Ok with begin wrong about that).

[xrp]

Looks like a rainy trend. Maybe Trinity Alps will be better. Might have to fall back to Badger Lake, Deschutes River, Metolius River,....

It'd be nice to do a last trip in Mt Hood area like Zigzag or even Yocum Ridge but I don't like all this rain.

Mt Hood was glorious this past weekend! I hiked with a friend from Timberline Lodge down to Ramona Falls. We camped near Ramona overnight and hiked back out the next day because the rains were due early Monday morning.

[retired jerry]

That is the hard way to get to Ramona Falls xrp

"And i don't think that anyone has been picking on you.
So, you could start with where you might go, instead of complaining that no one has helped you..."

Now we're picking on her

Lots of pro and anti gun/hunting on this web site. That's the one subject that's not possible to argue civily in my opinion

When I try to find areas that are less likely to have hunters, I get no good info. OFW is aimed at hunters, lots of details, not easy to tease out what I want to know.

When I google it I get pictures of hunters posing next to recently killed animals which I can not stomach. I have no problem with hunters, I just don't want to see pictures. I want my meat in plastic wrapped packages and don't want to know what happens upstream from there.

[drm]

No one has yet to answer my initial question of 'Where are hunters allowed to go?' so that I can avoid folks who do cherish these institutions.

I think that most if not all national parks in the lower 48 ban hunting, but you could call the park and ask to make sure. I know that there is hunting in some Alaskan national parks, but they often have different rules in Alaska.

But given the complexity of hunting seasons, which vary by animal and hunting weapon, you really should just get used to calling the office or ranger station and asking what the current situation is for any area you're not sure of rather than relying on general rules.

[Waffle Stomper]

Where are hunters allowed to go? I've always been confused about this. I figured since I tend to hike the popular trails in state parks, wilderness areas, national forests, etc., I was safe.
But, I was out on the Catherine Creek trails on Sunday and came across this guy hiking the trails and walking on the road:

For Oregon: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/index.asp

For Washington: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/

Good rule of thumb, if there is game there could be hunters unless the area is closed to hunting (see links). But remember an area may be closed to one species but open to another so there is no hard and fast rule. Do your homework and be observant. Often vehicles parked on roadways with gun racks are a good clue Also often you will see vehicles parked away from trailheads and on side roads. Hunters don't always use hiking trails. If you think you are near hunters talk loudly and yes, keep your dog on a leash if you have one.

[retired jerry]

I can't find on those links when and where there's hunting.

For example, I think bear and cougar are year round. Should you worry about that? And I can not find an end date for deer or elk.

So, the rule of thumb is, hunting season for deer with guns starts the earliest Saturday to October 1, so it can be as early ast September 28. The most hunting is early in the season.

Some places like wilderness, national parks, and state parks (at least in Oregon and Washington) don't allow hunting but people can break rules.

The risk is low, but maybe you want to wear an orange vest, or whatever, during that period.

[Koda]

Im a little late to this thread cause... well, Ive been out hunting the past 3 days.



Its not hard at all to find the rifle (gun) seasons for any state, just go to the states fish and wildlife website. Hunting is regulated by the state, not on the federal level so no need to go there. In Oregon you can download for free a full PDF of the hunting regulations for each year which lists clearly each season and the dates. Brian already answered Maryanns question, is pretty much the best summary.
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hu ... _game_regs

When I try to find areas that are less likely to have hunters, I get no good info. OFW is aimed at hunters, lots of details, not easy to tease out what I want to know.

agree its tough if one is concerned about finding a place to hike away from hunting. I would think most hunters would stay away from popular hiking areas but since public lands are open you never know. Its just that popular hiking areas might have some game but the heavy use drives the wildlife to other areas... from a hunting perspective its a poor choice because you want to go where the most animals are.
The only tip I can think of is to avoid hiking the Wilson River trails because while those trails are popular that area still has a lot of deer and elk and is thus very popular area for hunting. Also, ODFW has a good interactive hunting map the shows various hunting access areas throughout the state... naturally in those places hunters will go to so maybe see if the area you want to hike is within or near one of those places shown on the map: http://www.oregonhuntingmap.com/

[Koda]

I can't find on those links when and where there's hunting.

For example, I think bear and cougar are year round. Should you worry about that? And I can not find an end date for deer or elk.

So, the rule of thumb is, hunting season for deer with guns starts the earliest Saturday to October 1, so it can be as early ast September 28. The most hunting is early in the season.

Some places like wilderness, national parks, and state parks (at least in Oregon and Washington) don't allow hunting but people can break rules.

The risk is low, but maybe you want to wear an orange vest, or whatever, during that period.

pg 8 of the Oregon hunting regs is a summary list of all big game hunting dates. Deer season ends Nov 7th

yes, cougar and bear seasons are much longer but probably the least to worry about, not as many go cause its much more difficult. Most typically buy the tags and hope they see one while hunting deer.

Wilderness areas are legal to hunt in, so no one is breaking the rule there. Most hunters dont use them because its easier to hunt near their vehicles. Majority of deer and elk are found near logging areas.

[Grannyhiker]

It's a bit of a drive, but there are lots of great hikes in Mt. Rainier National Park if you want to avoid hunters. I used to go there when I lived in Richland, WA and was not hiking with a dog. At least on the east side of the Cascades, the opening weekend of modern firearm season was one to avoid. I usually stopped in Naches, WA (above Yakima) on the way, and the stores would be jammed full of hunters buying multiple 6-packs of beer. Gunpowder and alcohol are a scary combination.

I haven't noticed that many hunters in this area (although I've never been out opening day), so I just wear a blaze orange vest. It's big enough to go around both me and my pack, with room to spare (even though I'm rather on the stout side). Some years back I bought two vests for $5 and remodeled one for my dog (yes, do put blaxe orange on your dog, too!).

[retired jerry]

I thought firearms weren't allowed in wilderness areas

Bow and arrow are allowed in wilderness